Several bag holding devices have been disclosed in the prior art for supporting a grocery bag in an open position. Typically, such devices are designed for use in grocery store check-out areas to assist clerks in rapidly loading food stuffs or other merchandise into an open bag. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,689 granted to Prader on Aug. 16, 1983 discloses an apparatus for loading bags which is attachable to a check-out counter in a grocery store. The Prader device includes swingable handle arms secured to a rigid support frame. The handles of a conventional grocery bag can be attached to respective handle arms to maintain the bag in an open posture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,307 granted to Malik on Apr. 1, 1986 discloses a wire rack which is adapted to hold a plastic bag open by its integral handle loops. The device includes a wall-mountable frame and a pair of spaced swing panels which can be locked in a bag loading position extending perpendicular to the frame. If desired, the rack can be collapsed by folding the swing panels inwardly.
The above-noted prior art references are distinguishable from the present invention in several respects. Both the Prader and Malik devices are structurally designed to retain a compliment of grocery bags which can be peeled away from a heat-welded stack and individually loaded in rapid succession. The present invention, by contrast, is adapted to support a single grocery bag in an open position for use as a waste receptacle.
Unlike the Prader and Malik devices, which are usually secured to a grocery check-out counter in a permanent fashion as discussed above, the present invention is intended to be fully portable. In particular, the present invention is removably mountable on a drawer or cabinet located immediately underneath a kitchen countertop.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,162,414 granted to Maschek on Dec. 22, 1964 does disclose a bag holding device mountable on the front wall of a drawer of a kitchen cabinet. However, this device is adapted to support paper grocery bags rather than plastic bags having integral handles. Moreover, the Maschek device is not designed to accommodate cabinet drawers and the like of a varying thickness as is the present invention.
The present invention overcomes the structural and functional shortcomings apparent in prior art bag holders in a simple, reliable and economic manner.